Configuration mechanism for organization of addressing elements

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for organizing and accessing addressing elements is herein disclosed. An exemplary speed dialing system includes a plurality of speed dial pages which can be selected by the user for display on a touch sensitive screen. Each speed dial page has an arrangement of speed dial buttons, and each speed dial button can be assigned a label, that is displayed on or adjacent the button, and a telephone number that is dialed when the button is pressed using the touch sensitive screen. The assignment of labels and telephone numbers can be arranged among the buttons by the user to aid the user in recalling where particular telephone numbers are and so enable quick and easy access by the user. These principles are similarly applicable to Internet bookmarks, for example, and software application shortcuts.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of, and claims a benefit ofand priority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/231,631, filed Sep.20, 2005, titled “Integrated Handheld Computing and Telephony System andServices”, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/977,871, filed Oct. 14, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,007,239 titled“Method and Apparatus for Accessing a Contacts Database and TelephoneServices”, which is a continuation-in-part of and claims a benefit ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/668,123, filed Sep. 21, 2000, titled“Method and Apparatus for Organizing Addressing Elements”, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,781,575, and a continuation-in-part of and claims a benefit ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/374,095, filed Aug. 12, 1999, titled“Mobile Computer System Designed for Wireless Communication Expansion”,now U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,202, the relevant contents of each of theseapplications herein being incorporated by reference.

This application also is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/241,796, filed Sep. 30, 2005, which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/977,867, filed Oct. 14, 2001, which is acontinuation of U.S. Pat. No. 6,781,575, filed Sep. 21, 2000, and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/047,830, filed Jan. 31, 2005, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/977,867,filed Oct. 14, 2001, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 6,781,575,filed Sep. 21, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of computer-human interfaces.In particular the present invention relates to organization ofaddressing elements in a computer facilitating easy navigation of theaddressing elements by a user.

2. Description of the Related Art

Handheld information organization and communications devices arebecoming increasingly popular, amongst business workers and more generalusers. For example, handheld computer systems such as the 3Com line ofPalm handheld computers, the Handspring Visor, and the Microsoft PocketPC have found widespread acceptance amongst people for the purpose oforganizing their schedules and storing contact information. Typically,these handheld computer systems contain Personal Information Management(PIM) applications such as an address book, a calendar application, amemo application, and a To-Do list application. Such handheld computersystems are popular because they are small enough to be carried all thetime, allowing constant easy access to information.

Sales research has indicated that having a simple intuitive method ofaccessing the stored data is one of the most important aspects of ahandheld computer system. Due to its simple elegant design and efficientoperation, handheld computer systems based upon the Palm OperatingSystem (Palm OS) have captured a large proportion of the handheldcomputer system market. With the Palm OS, a user can select andmanipulate data using a stylus on a touch sensitive screen, whichpermits a information to be accessed in a wide variety of ways.

One of the most important applications of handheld computer systems isto hold personal information. For example, an addressbook application isused to store and access a list of acquaintances and contact details. Tosatisfy consumers, it would be desirable to create new useful interfacesthat allow a user to select and arrange items in such lists quickly andin a simple manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and apparatus for organizing and accessing addressing elementsis herein disclosed. In many situations in use of a handheld computer,for example, it is desirable to obtain quick and easy access toaddressable resources from amongst a list of such resources. In the caseof a handheld computer including a telephone, for example, a user maywish to quickly and easily dial certain telephone numbers through use ofa “speed dialing” system. An exemplary speed dialing system hereindescribed includes a plurality of speed dial pages which can be selectedby the user for display on a touch sensitive screen. Each speed dialpage has an arrangement of speed dial buttons, and each speed dialbutton can be assigned a label, that is displayed on or adjacent thebutton, and a telephone number that is dialed when the button is pressedusing the touch sensitive screen. The assignment of labels and telephonenumbers can be arranged amongst the buttons by the user to aid the userin recalling where (e.g. which page and which button location)particular telephone numbers are and so enable quick and easy access bythe user. These principles are similarly applicable to Internetbookmarks, for example, and software application shortcuts.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method forenabling user access to actionable addresses from a computer systemhaving a screen for displaying iconographic data and text and a userinput device enabling a user to interact with the computer system usingcomponents displayed on the screen. The method includes displaying afirst of a plurality of action pages on the screen, each action pagehaving a plurality of activatable elements in a predefined arrangement,each activatable element having an assigned correspondence with a userdefined label displayed with the activatable element and a user definedactionable address. Display of the plurality of pages can be controlledby the user to enable display of a second of said plurality of actionpages on the screen in response to a user input through said user inputdevice. In response to activation of a selected one of said activatableelements by a user through said user input device, the method includesexecuting the actionable address assigned to the selected activatableelement.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the computer systemcomprises a handheld computer system with a touch sensitive screen thatacts as the screen and user input device.

Preferably the assignment of labels and actionable addresses withactivatable elements is user definable, such that the assignments can,by action of the user input device, be reassigned between activatableelements on the same page and between activatable elements on differentpages. In the preferred embodiment the reassignment of activatableelements is achieved by a drag-and-drop operation.

In one embodiment of the invention the computer system includes atelephone, and the actionable addresses comprise telephone numbers,wherein executing the actionable address comprises dialing the telephonenumber assigned to the selected activatable element. In this case themethod performs the functions of a “speed dialing” system for frequentlyused telephone numbers or the like.

In another embodiment the computer system is equipped for communicationwith the Internet, and the actionable addresses comprise Internetaddresses, wherein executing the actionable address comprises accessingthe Internet address assigned to the selected activatable element. Inthis case the method acts in the form of a “bookmark” system forfrequently used Internet addresses or the like.

In another embodiment the actionable addresses correspond to softwareapplications in the computer system, wherein executing the actionableaddress comprises initiating execution of the software applicationassigned to the selected activatable element. In this case the methodallows easy user access to frequently used software applications.

Preferably the activatable elements are in the form of “soft buttons” orthe like, which can be activated by the finger of a user on the touchsensitive screen. By having a plurality of pages, selectable by theuser, each with a predefined arrangement of buttons having user assignedlabels and addresses associated therewith, the user may easily recallwhere, in page and button position, a desired actionable address (e.g.telephone number, Internet bookmark, software application shortcut) canbe located.

The present invention also provides a handheld computer system includinga processor, a screen display, a user input device and communicationscircuitry all coupled to inter-operate with one another. The handheldcomputer system includes a graphical user interface comprising aplurality of action pages for display on the screen, each action pagehaving a plurality of activatable screen elements in a predeterminedarrangement with each screen element being user assignable to a labelthat is displayed with the screen element and an actionable address thatis executed upon activation of the screen element using the user inputdevice, wherein the assignment of labels and actionable addresses toactivatable screen elements can be rearranged by the user.

Preferably the screen display and user input device of the handheldcomputer system comprise a touch sensitive screen. In the preferredembodiment, each of the activatable screen elements comprises a buttondisplay on the touch sensitive screen that is capable of activation bythe press of a finger of the user so as to execute the correspondingactionable address.

In one form of the invention the communications circuitry includes atelephone, wherein the actionable addresses comprise telephone numbers,and executing the actionable address comprises dialing the telephonenumber assigned to the selected activatable element.

In another form of the invention the communications circuitry includescircuitry for communication with the Internet, and the actionableaddresses comprise Internet addresses, wherein executing the actionableaddress comprises accessing the Internet address assigned to theselected activatable element.

In another form of the invention the actionable addresses correspond tosoftware applications in the computer system, wherein executing theactionable address comprises initiating execution of the softwareapplication assigned to the selected activatable element.

In accordance with the present invention there is also provided a speeddialing system for a mobile telephone device, the mobile telephonedevice having a display screen and a user input device, the speeddialing system including a plurality of speed dial display pages whichare selectable by action of the user input device for display on thescreen, each display page having a plurality of speed dial activeelements in a predetermined arrangement, wherein each speed dial activeelement is displayed together with a user assigned descriptive label,and wherein each speed dial active element is assigned to a userdefinable telephone number that is dialed by the telephone device uponactivation of the corresponding speed dial active element by use of theuser input device.

Other objects, features, and advantages of present invention will beapparent from the company drawings and from the following detaileddescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detailhereinafter, by way of example only and with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of a handheld computer system on whichan embodiment of the present invention may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is rear isometric view of the handheld computer system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front isometric view of the handheld computer systemequipped with a radio telephone communications peripheral attachment;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a telephone user interfacesoftware application;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a display arrangement for a telephone speed dialuser interface;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a first display arrangement for a telephone speeddial editing user interface;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a second display arrangement for a telephonespeed dial editing user interface;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a third display arrangement for a telephone speeddial editing user interface;

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D are block diagrams illustrating telephone speeddial user interface editing procedures; and

FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C are block diagrams illustrating further telephonespeed dial user interface editing procedures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A method and apparatus for organizing addressing elements is hereindisclosed. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,specific nomenclature is set forth to provide a thorough understandingof the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled inthe art that these specific details are not required in order topractice the present invention. For example, the present invention hasbeen described with reference to handheld computer systems. However, thesame techniques can easily be applied to other types of devices in whichquick and easy access to addressable elements from amongst a list ofsuch elements is desirable.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a handheld computer system 100. As shown inFIG. 1, the front of the handheld computer system includes a displayarea 110 and several physical buttons 120. The display area includes avisual display device, such as a liquid crystal display or the like, forpresenting information to the user. The physical buttons 120 can bemanipulated by the user to input information to the computer system andmake selections of information presented on the display device. Thedisplay device may also be covered with a digitizer pad which can beutilized by the user to enter information to the computer system using astylus (not shown).

In operation, information from the computer system is displayed by thedisplay device in the display area 110. The user is then able to employthe stylus to manipulate and interact with the displayed information bytouching the digitizer pad. In one mode of operation the stylus can beused in the manner of a writing pen to enter characters and figures bydrawing the stylus across the digitizer pad. In another mode ofoperation, the stylus and digitizer function like a computer mouse tooperate and manipulate interactive elements on the display. For example,the computer system may present a virtual button in a location on thedisplay that can be activated to perform a function by the user tappingthe stylus on the digitizer pad at the virtual button location. Thestylus can also be used to perform “drag and drop” operations in thefashion known in the use of a computer mouse. Functions of the digitizerpad can also be operated by a user's finger, such as activating avirtual button on the display.

The handheld computer system 100 also includes an expansion connectorslot 130, seen in the rear view of FIG. 2. The expansion connector slotallows peripheral devices to be connected to the computer system tointeract therewith: Many kinds of peripheral devices can be connected tothe handheld computer system 100 through the expansion connector slot130 including, for example, a radio cellular telephone transceiverdevice.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a handheld computer system 100 asdescribed above, with a cellular radio telephone transceiver device 150coupled thereto by the expansion connector slot 130. The radio telephonedevice 150 comprises a first portion 152 that is fixed to the body ofthe handheld computer system and a second portion 154. The secondportion 154 of the radio telephone device is hingedly coupled to thefirst portion 152 to allow it to pivot from a closed position where itcovers the display area 110 to an open position as shown in FIG. 3. Whenin the open position, a speaker 156 in the second portion of the radiotelephone device 150 can be held against the ear of the user whilst theuser speaks into a microphone 112 provided in the handheld computersystem 110.

The radio telephone device 150 includes circuitry for enablingcommunications with a cellular telecommunications network and processingcircuitry that, together with onboard software or firmware, allows theradio telephone device to interact with the handheld computer system100. Various aspects of a handheld computer system and interconnectedcellular radio telephone are described in patent application Ser. No.09/374,095 filed Aug. 12, 1999 and entitled “A Mobile Computer SystemDesigned for Wireless Communication Expansion”, now U.S. Pat. No.6,516,202. The disclosure of that patent is hereby expresslyincorporated herein by reference.

It will be appreciated that the handheld computer system 100 andfunctions of the cellular radio telephone 150 operate principally underthe control of computer software. The handheld computer system 100includes a microprocessor and built-in software that providesapplications for the user. The radio telephone peripheral device 150 mayalso include a microprocessor, together with software code and dataspecifically required for the phone functions. In the preferredembodiment, a computer software phone application that provides the userinterface functions for the radio telephone peripheral executes on thehandheld computer system microprocessor, although the software code maybe permanently stored in either the handheld computer or the radiotelephone peripheral. Similarly, data used by the phone application canbe stored in either device, although it is preferred that acquaintancecontact data and the like be stored in the handheld computer system sothat it may be accessible by the user even when the telephone peripheralis not present.

Amongst mobile radio telephone users it has been found that one of themost utilized features of the mobile telephone is the “speed dial”function. A typical mobile telephone has a non-volatile storage memoryfor storing the names and corresponding telephone numbers for aplurality of the user's acquaintances or the like. The telephone speeddial user interface then allows the user to place a telephone call toone of the stored telephone numbers relatively quickly and easily.

Existing mobile telephone speed dial systems can operate in a variety ofways. One such speed dial system allows the user to associate atelephone number with a unique one or two digit code. The user can thendial the number by entering the one or two digit code, followed by the“SEND” key, for example, to place the speed dial call. In order for thissystem to be effective, the user must memorize the codes associated withthe telephone numbers.

Another existing speed dial system allows the user to utilize lettersassociated with keys on the telephone keypad to spell out the name ofthe person associated with a stored telephone number. This can be atedious process since typically three or four letters are assigned toeach button on the telephone keypad, which necessitates several keypresses for each of the letters in the name spelt.

Another existing mobile telephone speed dial system uses a list of namesassociated with speed dial telephone numbers that is displayed on thetelephone screen. In this case designated telephone keypad buttons allowthe user to scroll up and down the list to select the desired name andthereby dial the associated telephone number.

An implementation of the present invention provides an alternativesystem for arranging and accessing mobile telephone speed dial records.In particular, an embodiment of the invention is described herein belowin the context of a telephone application and user interface operatingon a handheld computer 100 with attached cellular radio telephone 150 ofthe kind shown in FIG. 3 and referred to above. The system for arrangingand accessing addressing elements in the described embodiment of theinvention provides a speed dial system that enables fast and easy accesslocation of stored addressing records (e.g., names and associatedtelephone numbers) so that a user can quickly and accurately place acall using a stored telephone number.

The speed dial system of the present embodiment implements a physicalpage metaphor, whereby a plurality of “pages” are each used to representa sub-set of speed dial records. A speed dial record can be consideredas an addressing element and an associated tag or label. In this casethe addressing element will in most cases be a simple telephone number,although in this embodiment provision is made for additional addressingdata, as is described herein below. The tag or label associated with theaddressing element in the speed dial record can be a person's name orother descriptive title. For example, “John”, “Peter Smith”, “Home” and“Office” are the kind of tags or labels that might typically be used inspeed dial addressing records. Thus the speed dial record includesdescriptive data (the tag or label) and addressing data (the telephonenumber). The descriptive data is easier for most people to remember thana string of digits, and is therefore used to access the correspondingstored telephone numbers.

Each page in the speed dial system is a software construct that allowssingle tap dialing access to a subset of the stored speed dial records.A Speed Dial page in the preferred embodiment includes a screen displaywhich is presented to the user in the display area 110 of the handheldcomputer 100. The Speed Dial page also includes interactivefunctionality that allows a user to manipulate and select datarepresented in the corresponding screen display. In this description“pages” are described largely with reference to the layout ofinformation and the like presented by the screen display, and theunderlying functions performed as a result of user interaction withinteractive elements. However, it will be appreciated that in fact thefunctions performed are carried out by computer software routines, orhardwired equivalents, executed by the circuitry of the handheldcomputer or telephone peripheral, including the generation of the visualscreen displays and interpretation of user interaction with thetouch-screen digitizer. The software that performs the functions isherein referred to as a Phone App. The Phone App, as mentioned, isstored in the handheld computer 100 or telephone peripheral 150, andutilizes user defined data in the form of the speed dial records whichare also stored in the handheld computer or telephone peripheral.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the Phone App (400) indicatingthe main functions accessible through the user interface thereof whenthere are no telephone calls active. The Phone App 400 includesvoice-mail and short message service (SMS) checking systems 440, 450 anda phone preferences function 460 which are not relevant to the presentinvention and are therefore not further discussed herein.

When there are no telephone calls active, the Phone App has three mainviews accessible through the user interface: a dial pad view (410), acall history view (420) and a speed dial view (430). The dial pad view410 presents page that looks and operates similarly to a traditionaltelephone keypad for manual dialing of telephone numbers. The callhistory view 420 presents a scrollable list of the past 1000 telephonecalls made and received, with the ability to dial a number from thelist. The manual dial pad and call history features are also notdirectly relevant to the implementation of the present invention, andare not further discussed so as to avoid obscuring the invention.

The speed dial view 430 of the Phone App 400 includes five Speed Dialpages each containing ten one-touch speed dial buttons. From the speeddial view 430 the speed dial data can be entered and amended by the userthrough edit list (432), edit entry (434) and find number functions(436) which are described in detail herein below.

FIG. 5 illustrates the visual presentation of an exemplary Speed Dialpage 500 according to the preferred embodiment of the speed dial system.The Speed Dial page has a title bar (510) at the top of the screen and acommand button area (530) at the bottom of the screen. The area (520)between the title bar and command buttons on the Speed Dial page 500 isoccupied by ten speed dial screen buttons 525, arranged in two columnsof five buttons per column. Each of the speed dial screen buttons 525corresponds to a speed dial record. The speed dial record tag or label(or a portion thereof) is displayed on the screen button, and activating(“tapping”) the button causes the Phone App to control the handheldcomputer and telephone peripheral to dial the telephone number of thecorresponding speed dial record.

Three icons 535 appear at the bottom left command button area of theSpeed Dial page screen 500. These represent buttons that allow the userto toggle the screen display between the three main Phone App views(410, 420, 430 in FIG. 4). The user can tap on the icons directly tomove between the main Phone App views. In FIG. 5 the leftmost of theicons 535, representing the speed dial view, is shown highlighted byinverted graphic colors.

There are five small, numbered page buttons 540 to the right hand sideof the command button area 530 on the Speed Dial page 500. The pagebuttons 540 represent the five pages of speed dial buttons available.The button corresponding to the current page is highlighted by invertedgraphic colors (in this case the page illustrated being page numberone). Tapping on any of the other page buttons 540 will effect displayof the contents of that page (and that page button will then becomehighlighted).

The basic operation of the Phone App from the Speed Dial page 500 inordinary operation is as follows. Each of the five Speed Dial pages hasten speed dial soft buttons that are user assignable. When a speed dialbutton has been assigned to a speed dial record by the user, it displaysthe tag or label of the speed dial record and tapping on (activating)that button effects automatic dialing of the corresponding assignedtelephone number. Tapping on a speed dial button with no number assigned(e.g., an empty button) effects display of an Edit Speed Dial Buttonpage (described below) that allows the user to generate a speed dialrecord to be assigned to that button. To move directly from one of thefive Speed Dial pages to another the user can tap on one of the pagebuttons 540, or the physical buttons 120 on the front of the handheldcomputer 100 can be used to scroll through the Speed Dial pages.

Tapping on the title bar of the Speed Dial page 500 reveals a pull downedit menu (not shown in FIG. 5). Selecting the edit menu effects displayof an Edit Speed Dial page (432 in FIG. 4). The lay out of the EditSpeed Dial page is illustrated at 600 in FIG. 6. The Edit Speed Dialpage 600 provides the primary basis by which the user can arrange speeddial settings on the Speed Dial pages, edit speed dial records (434 inFIG. 4) and find telephone numbers for assignment to the speed dialbuttons (436 in FIG. 4).

The Edit Speed Dial page 600 contains a table 610 of ten “slots” 612arranged in two columns of five, with each slot 612 corresponding to abutton 525 on the Speed Dial page 500. There are notionally five EditSpeed Dial pages 600, one for each of the Speed Dial pages 500. Theslots 612 in the table 610 contain the text of the tags or labels forthe speed dial records assigned to the corresponding buttons. When inthe Edit Speed Dial page view, one of the slots 612 is always“selected”, and the user can change the selected slot by tapping on thecorresponding position of the table. In the Figures the selected slot isindicated by inverted graphic colors.

Located below the table 610 is a set of page button icons 620 thatoperate in a similar manner to the page buttons 540 and allow the userto navigate amongst the five Edit Speed Dial pages. The page buttonicons 620, however, are larger than the page buttons 540 of FIG. 5because the page button icons 620 also display an indication of thespeed dial button assignments on each of the Speed Dial pages. This isachieved by small horizontal lines arranged in the page button icons 620representing speed dial buttons on that page which have speed dialrecords assigned thereto. For example, as seen in FIG. 6, the Edit SpeedDial 600 has all slots occupied and thus all corresponding speed dialbuttons assigned, which is reflected in the “Page 1” icon having tenhorizontal lines therein. The “Page 2” icon indicates that the secondspeed dial page has two “empty” slots/buttons at the lower rightpositions, whilst the other speed dial pages are shown as all empty.This icon display allows the user to quickly and easily determine whichspeed dial pages have empty slots/buttons at a glance from the EditSpeed Dial page view, which is particularly useful for editing andrearranging speed dial assignments as will be described in greaterdetail in a later section.

The Edit Speed Dial page 600 also contains several command buttons 630for performing specific functions. These command buttons are labeled“Done”, “New”, “Edit” and “Delete” and will be referred to hereinafter.For example, tapping on the “Done” button returns the Phone App userinterface to display the Speed Dial page view (500). The “New”, “Edit”and “Delete” buttons, when activated, enable operations to be performedon the speed dial record of the selected slot.

Tapping on the “Edit” command button from the Edit Speed Dial page 600effects display of an Edit Entry page, the layout of which isillustrated at 700 in FIG. 7. The Edit Entry page 700 displays the dataof the speed dial record for the selected slot. In particular, the EditEntry page has a “Name” field at 710 for displaying and editing thespeed dial record tag or label, and a “Number” field at 720 fordisplaying and editing the telephone number for the speed dial record.The Edit Entry page also has a field labeled “Next Sequence” at 730which provides for the user to specify a string of characters to be sentby the phone after the dialing procedure. For example, for a particulartelephone number corresponding to a PBX extension, the user may specifya string of characters in the “Next Sequence” field for the PBXextension number.

In the Edit Entry page, each of the fields 710, 720 and 730 are editableby the user in conventional manner on the handheld computer system 100.For example, the fields can be edited using the stylus on the touchsensitive screen or using a peripheral keyboard or the like. The EditEntry page 700 also has several command buttons 740, labeled “Done”,“Cancel” and “Find Number”. Tapping on the “Done” button causes thePhone App to return to the Edit Speed Dial page, retaining any changesto the speed dial record made by the user. The “Cancel” button effectsreturn to the Edit Speed Dial page whilst discarding any speed dialrecord changes. The “Find Number” button allows the user to find atelephone number to insert in the “Number” field 720, as describedbelow.

The Phone App has some interaction with other software applications onthe handheld computer 100, including an “Address Book” application thatthe user may employ to keep a list of acquaintances and correspondingaddresses, telephone numbers and the like. In use of the Edit Entry page700, the user may enter a name in the “Name” field and then tap on the“Find Number” button to access data from the Address Book application.In particular, tapping on the “Find Number” button generates a searchthrough the Address Book data to find names matching the text in the“Name” field 710. The results of the search are presented to the user inan Address List page, such as illustrated at 800 in FIG. 8. The AddressList page includes a list 810 of names and corresponding telephonenumbers retrieved from the Address Book data in the search based on the“Name” field text. The user may then highlight one of the list entries(820) and tap on a “Select” button 830 to return to the Edit Entry page700 with the selected Address Book data telephone number inserted in thespeed dial record “Number” field 720.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D are block diagrams illustrating telephone speeddial user interface editing procedures based on the pages describedhereinabove and illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8.

An empty button editing procedure 900 is shown in FIG. 9A, beginningfrom a Speed Dial page 902. The user taps on an empty button (904) whicheffects transition directly to the Edit Entry page (906). Thereat theuser enters data into the “Name”, “Number” and optionally “NextSequence” fields, using conventional data entry means, to create a newspeed dial record. Tapping on the “Done” button 907 effects return tothe Speed Dial page (906) with the previously empty button 904 nowassigned to the new speed dial record. The button 904 now displays the“Name” field text, indicating that it is no longer empty.

A speed dial button insertion procedure is illustrated at 910 in FIG.9B, beginning from a Speed Dial page 912. The user taps on the title barof the Speed dial page and selects the revealed “Edit” menu shown at914. This effects transition of the Phone App to an Edit Speed Dial page916 corresponding to the Speed Dial page 912. The user selects one ofthe slots (918) on the Edit Speed Dial page 916 at which to insert a newentry, and taps the “New” command button 920. If the selected slot iscurrently occupied, an empty slot on the same page is located (919) andrecords between the selected and empty slots are shifted so as to clearthe selected slot. If no slot is available on the current page, then abeep sounds, indicating that the operation is not possible. If the slotis successfully cleared (or if the slot was empty to begin with), theEdit Entry page 922 is then presented, allowing the user to enter datafor a new speed dial record as described previously. The user taps onthe “Done” button 924 at the completion of the speed dial recordcreation to effect return to the Edit Speed Dial page as shown at 926.The selected slot 928 now contains the newly created speed dial record,and the previously empty slot is now occupied by one of the shiftedexisting records. Tapping on the “Done” button effects return to thecorresponding Speed Dial page (932), where the new speed dial record tagor label is displayed on the button 934.

A speed dial record editing procedure is illustrated at 940 in FIG. 9C,beginning from a Speed Dial page 942. The user obtains the correspondingEdit Speed Dial page 946 through selection of the “Edit” menu 944. Inthis case the user selects a different Edit Speed Dial page (950) bytapping on the page icon 948. An occupied slot 952 on page 950 isselected, and tapping on the “Edit” button 954 effects transition to theEdit Entry page (956) containing the speed dial record data for theselected slot. The user is then able to amend the speed dial record dataif desired, and tap the “Done” button to enter the amended record. Theeffects return to the Edit Speed Dial page as shown at 960. Tapping onthe “Done” button 962 returns the Phone App user interface to thecorresponding Speed Dial page (964).

An alternative new speed dial record creation procedure is illustratedat 970 in FIG. 9D, beginning at Speed Dial page 972. In the illustratedprocedure the user selects the “Edit” menu 974 to reach the Edit SpeedDial page 976. As shown, the user then taps a page icon button 978 toreach a desired Edit Speed Dial page 980, and thereat selects an emptyslot 982. Using the “Edit” or “New” command button effects transition tothe Edit Entry page 984. An acquaintance name is entered in the “Name”field and the “Find Number” button 986 activated to locate a telephonenumber for the acquaintance in the Address Book data file. A Find PhoneNumber dialog 988 appears to confirm the name under which to search,which leads to an Address List page 990 containing the search results.As described previously, the user can then select an item from the listof names and telephone numbers which causes a return to the Edit Entrypage (992) with the relevant telephone number entered in the “Number”field. The newly created speed dial record is entered into the selectedslot (996) in the Edit Speed Dial page (994) when the user taps the“Done” button. Finally, tapping the “Done” button on the Edit Speed Dialpage effects return to the Speed Dial page as seen at 998 with the newspeed dial record assignment indicated on the button 999.

One of the advantages of the speed dial system of the describedembodiment is that the user may use the positioning of the speed dialbuttons to remember which buttons correspond to which acquaintance. Forexample, the user may assign the speed dial numbers to the buttons inorder that they may be recalled by button position, e.g. rememberingRob's mobile telephone number is the bottom left-hand button. This formof positional memory recall is something that many people findparticularly easy and convenient, oftentimes easier than recalling evena short numerical code or the like. Also, the speed dial numbers arearranged in a plurality of pages, so that each page may be used forspeed dial numbers in a different category, for instance. One page maycontain work related telephone numbers, for example, another page familynumbers and another page telephone numbers for friends. The button iconson the Speed Dial page representing the different pages of buttons arealso arranged to exploit the user's position recall memory.

Once the speed dial records have been created and entered into the speeddial system as described above, their assignment to buttons on the SpeedDial pages can be rearranged by a “drag and drop” operation using thestylus on the touch sensitive screen of the handheld computer. In theEdit Speed Dial page a speed dial record slot is selected by placing thestylus tip thereon, and that record can be relocated to another slot onthe same page by dragging the stylus tip over to the position of the newslot. If the slot new slot is empty, the speed dial record is moved tothe new slot when the stylus is lifted. If the new slot is alreadyoccupied, however, a rearrangement of some of the other speed dialrecords on the page is also required.

If there is an empty slot immediately below the occupied destinationslot, the record currently occupying the slot is moved down one positionto the empty slot. FIG. 10A illustrates such a rearrangement operation.

If the slot immediately below the destination slot is occupied, all therecords below the destination slot are shifted down until an empty slotis found and filled. Note that the empty slot may be the one justvacated. For purposes of this description, the right hand column isconsidered “below” the left-hand column. Rearrangement operations ofthis kind are illustrated in FIGS. 10B and 10C.

If the user drags a speed dial record from a slot 612 on the Edit SpeedDial page 600 to an un-selected page icon 622, that page icon becomesselected (inverted). Upon lifting the stylus in that condition, theselected record is placed in the first available slot on the new page.If there are no empty slots on the new page, that page's icon does notinvert, and a beep sounds when the user lifts the pen from thatlocation, indicating that the user cannot drag to that page. If a recordis successfully moved to a new page, the new page is displayed upon penup.

In order to facilitate user memorization of speed dial buttons byposition, maintaining the position of a speed dial button within acertain page is considered important. That is why the relativepositioning of speed dial buttons on a page is preserved where possible,and speed dial records are not permitted to shift across page boundarieswhen entries are automatically rearranged during drag-and-dropoperations and insertion of new records.

Whilst the application of the principles of the present invention havebeen described hereinabove in connection with a telephone speed dialingsystem on a handheld computer, the invention also finds otherapplications. For example, the actionable addresses assigned to thebuttons need not be telephone numbers and may be Internet addressesinstead. In that case the invention can be implemented to provide accessto Internet “bookmarks” instead of telephone numbers. To enable fullbenefit, then, the computer should include the capability ofcommunication with the Internet, which can be achieved through thetelephone peripheral, or through alternative communications circuitry asknown in the art. Such functionality may be accessible through a browserapplication on the handheld computer, whereby tapping a “bookmark”button, causes the browser to display a page or the like from theselected Internet address. Similarly, the addresses associated with the“speed dial” buttons may, in another implementation, provide actionablepointers to software applications accessible by the computer system. Inthat case tapping a button may effect launching of the correspondingsoftware application on the handheld computer.

The foregoing has described a method and apparatus for organizingaddressing elements. It is contemplated that changes and modificationsmay be made by one of ordinary skill in the art, to the materials andarrangements of elements of the present invention without departing fromthe scope of the invention.

1. A mobile computing device configured to access a telephone system,the mobile computing device comprising: an input interface configured toreceive sets of characters for a plurality of records, each recordrepresenting a destination accessible via a voice channel, at least onerecord associated with a first set of characters and a second set ofcharacters for accessing the destination; a storage configured to storethe sets of characters associated with the plurality of records; ascreen configured to display representations of the plurality of therecords for selection; and a communication circuit configured to send afirst signal corresponding to a first set of characters of a selectedrecord and a second signal corresponding to a second set of charactersof the selected record to the telephone system over the voice channelresponsive to selecting the record, the first signal sent to establish avoice channel connection with the telephone system, the second signalsent to access the destination by navigating the telephone system afterthe voice channel is established with the telephone system, wherein thesecond signal is automatically sent to the telephone system without userintervention after sending the first signal.
 2. The device of claim 1,wherein the input interface comprises a touch screen display.
 3. Thedevice of claim 2, wherein the second signal is configured to navigatethe telephone system.
 4. A computing device for accessing a remotesystem, said device comprising: a storage configured to store aplurality of records, at least one record associated with a first set ofcharacters and a second set of characters for accessing a destinationvia a voice channel; a screen configured to display representations ofthe plurality of records for selection; a selection interface configuredto receive selection of one record among the plurality of records; and acommunication circuit configured to send a first signal at a first timeand a second signal at a second time subsequent to the first time to theremote system over the voice channel responsive to selecting the record,the first signal corresponding to the first set of characters of theselected record, the second set of characters corresponding to thesecond set of characters of the selected record, wherein the first timeis before a voice channel connection is established between thecomputing device and the remote system, and the second time is after thevoice channel connection is established between the computing device andthe remote system, and wherein the second signal is automatically sentto the telephone system without user intervention after sending thefirst signal.
 5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the remotesystem comprises a private branch exchange (PBX).
 6. The computingdevice of claim 4, wherein the remote system comprises a voicemailsystem, and the second signal is configured to navigate the voicemailsystem.
 7. The computing device of claim 4, wherein each record isassociated with a third set of characters representing a length of pausebetween the first signal and the second signal.
 8. The computing deviceof claim 4, wherein the selection interface comprises a touch screendisplay.
 9. The computing device of claim 4, further comprising aconfiguration interface configured to receive the first set ofcharacters and the second set of characters associated with a record forstorage in the storage.
 10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein theconfiguration interface is configured to display a configuring screencomprising a first field for inputting the first set of characters, anda second field for inputting the second set of characters.
 11. Thecomputing device of claim 4, wherein the representations comprise iconsdisplayed on the screen.
 12. A method of accessing a remote system via acomputing device, comprising: storing a plurality of records, at leastone record associated with a first set of characters and a second set ofcharacters for accessing a destination via a voice channel; displayingrepresentations of the plurality of records for selection; receivingselection of one record among the plurality of records; and sending afirst signal at a first time and a second signal at a second timesubsequent to the first time to the remote system over the voice channelresponsive to selecting the record, the first signal corresponding tothe first set of characters of the selected record, the second set ofcharacters corresponding to the second set of characters of the selectedrecord, wherein the first time is before a voice channel connection isestablished between the computing device and the remote system, and thesecond time is after the voice channel connection is established betweenthe computing device and remote system, and wherein the second signal isautomatically sent to the telephone system without user interventionafter sending the first signal.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein theremote system comprises a private branch exchange (PBX).
 14. The methodof claim 12, wherein the remote system comprises a voicemail system, andthe second signal is configured to navigate the voicemail system. 15.The method of claim 12, wherein each record is associated with a thirdset of characters representing a length of pause between the firstsignal and the second signal.
 16. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising receiving the first set of characters and the second set ofcharacters associated with a record for storage.
 17. The method of claim16, further comprising: displaying a first field for inputting the firstset of characters on a configuring screen; and displaying a second fieldfor inputting the second set of characters on the configuring screen.18. The method of claim 12, wherein the representations comprise iconsdisplayed on a screen.